The paper of Introduction to Linguistic

CHAPTER 1

PREFACE

1.1            Background

Language change-variation over time- has its origins in spatial (or regional ) and social variation. A change may spread along any of these dimensions and into another group. Linguistic changes infiltrate groups from the speech of people on the margins between social and regional groups-via the middle people who have contacs in more than one group. Linguistic change progresess most slowly in thightly knit communities which have little contact with the outside world. They are plenty of examples of places where isolation has survived tribute to linguistic conservatism.

1.2  Formula of problem

1.              What is language change?

2.              How do variation and change?

3.              How do changes spread?

4.              How do we study language change?

5.              What is the reason for language change?

1.3       Purpose of the Compilation

1.              To know about language change.

2.              To know about the variation and change.

3.              To know about changes spread.

4.              To know about study of language change.

5.              To know about the reason of  language change.

CHAPTER II

LANGUAGE CHANGE

Often treats language as an entity independent of  its speakers and writers. In reality it is not so much that language itself changes as that speakers and writers change the way they use the language. Speaker innovation is a more accurate description than language change. Speakers innovative , sometimes spontaneously, but more often by imitating speakers from other communities. If their innovations are adopted by others and diffuse through their local community and beyond into other communities then linguistic change is the result.

1. Variation and change

  Language change-variation over time- has its origins in spatial (or regional )and social variation.

In a small town it often seems that everyone uses the same language. But a little thought will soon identify areas of variation, most obviously in vocabulary and pronounciation.

Many of these changes will be ephemeral, but some will persist and become incorporated into the standard dialect. All language change has its origins in variation. The possibility of a linguistic change exists as soon as a new from develops and begins to be used alongside an existing form.

Similarly, a sound change occurs when one sound is replaced in people’s speech by another over a period of time, or when a sound disappears.

1.      Post- vocalic {r} – its spread and its status

The pronounciation of [r] in English speaking communities provides a wealth of examples of the complexity of linguistic variation and language change, as well as the arbitrariness of the form which happen to be standard in any community. While [r]- less speech is the prestigious form which is still spreading in England, in some part of America it’s rhotic variety which is increasing.

2.      The spread of vernacular forms

Not all linguistic changes involves adopting news forms from outside the speech community. Nor do they always involve forms which people are conscious of a prestigious forms. Vowel centralization is not an overtly prestigious sound in American speech.  

The spread of centralised vowels illustrated how a vernacular feature can acquire social significance and spread to trough a community.

2. How do changes spread? 

1.      From group to group

Social factors such as age, status, sex and region affect the rates of change and the directions in which the waves roll most swiftly. The wave metaphor is one useful way of visualizing the spread of a change from one group to another. A change may spread along any of these dimensions and into another group. Linguistic changes infiltrate groups from the speech of people on the margins between social and regional groups-via the middle people who have contacs in more than one group.

2.      From style to style.

In the speech of particular individual it suggest the change spreads from one style to another ( say from more formal speech to more casual speech), while at the same time its spread from one individual to to another within a social group, and subsequently from one social group to another.

In the most formal style of the young people in the most socially statusful group in the community. When a change is a prestigious one it usually starts at the top of the speech community- in the most formal style of the highest status group and spreads downwards.

3.      From word to word- lexical diffusion 

Sound changes spread although different words one by one. This is call lexical diffusion. When a sound change begins, all the words with a particular vowel don’t at once in the speech of a community.

3. How do we study language change?

1.      Apparent –time studies of language change

Comparing the speech of people from different age groups can be a useful clue thento language change. This has been called the apparent time method of studying change. Differences between the speech of older people and younger people are interpreted as indications of changes in progress.

2.      Language change in real time

The apparent time method of studying language change is a useful short cut for sociolinguistic who generally cannot afford to wait around for twenty years to see what happens in real time.

D.    Reasons for Language change

1. Social status and language change.

           There is still a great deal of research and discussion about which social groups introduce linguistic changes. One answer seems to be that a linguistic change may enter a speech community through any social group, but that different types of change are associated with different groups.

2. Sex and language change

Differences in women’s and men’s speech are another source of variation which can result in linguistic change. Sometimes it is women who are the innovators, leading a linguistic change, and sometimes it is men. In general, women tend to introduce the prestige forms whereas men tend to lead changes in the opposite direction, introducing new vernacular forms.

3.      Interaction and language change

Introduction and contact between people is crucial in providing the channels, as previuos examples have simplied. In this final section  I will briefly identify more explicitly the ways in which interaction-or lack of it –has effected the progress of linguistic changes in a number of communities.

Linguistic change progresess most slowly in thightly knit communities which have little contact with the outside world. They are plenty of examples of places where isolation has survived tribute to linguistic conservatism.

CHAPTER III

CLOSING

A.    Conclusion

From the whole discussion above, it can be concluded, Information about the Language change-variation over time- has its origins in spatial (or regional ) and social variation. A change may spread along any of these dimensions and into another group. There are reason for language change that is social status and land language change, sex and language change and interaction and language change.